WASHINGTON, April 10, 2009—Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the appointment of Doug O'Brien as Chief of Staff to Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan.

The Office of the Deputy Secretary oversees the USDA budget, which is $120 billion for fiscal year 2009. The Office manages the day-to-day operations of a department with vast responsibilities that include domestic farm programs, agricultural trade, nutrition assistance, food safety, agricultural marketing, conservation programs, energy, rural development, science and research, and National Forest lands.

"We are very fortunate to have Doug O'Brien join USDA," Vilsack said. "He has dedicated a distinguished career to agricultural issues. The department—and the people we serve—will benefit from his breadth of experience. Beyond his knowledge of current challenges to agriculture, Doug's administrative background will serve USDA well as we work to achieve the President's goals for food, agriculture and rural America."

O'Brien was most recently Assistant Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, where he helped run day-to-day operations. His responsibilities included development of the department's biofuels, bioproducts and renewable energy efforts.

O'Brien has worked largely in agricultural law. He has served as senior advisor to Governor Chet Culver of Iowa on renewable energy issues; interim co-director for the National Agricultural Law Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas; and senior staff attorney at the Drake Agricultural Law Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

As former counsel for the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, O'Brien worked on a number of issues for the 2002 Farm Bill: livestock marketing, concentration, agricultural credit, and cooperatives.

From 1998-2000, he was a legal specialist on livestock marketing issues in USDA. He has also served as associate counsel with the Organization for Competitive Markets; clerked with Justice Jerry Larson of the Iowa Supreme Court; and taught agricultural law at the University of Arkansas and at Drake University.

Raised on a diversified farm in Iowa, O'Brien holds a bachelor's degree from Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa, a law degree from the University of Iowa and a master's degree in agricultural law from the University of Arkansas.